Jasper and Ashley started Boss Barista almost two years ago, and now Jasper says goodbye to the podcast (and coffee!) in this episode. Jasper and Ashley talk about their highs and lows, and Ashley conducts an exit interview with Jasper. THIS IS NOT THE END OF BOSS BARISTA. More Boss Barista will be coming to you - and we talk at the end about the future of the show.

In May 2017, baristas at the four upstate New York Gimme Coffee locations voted to unionize, becoming the first group of baristas to form a union. Two of the organizers, Samantha Mason and Korbin Richards join us and talk about how they formed the union, what protections can baristas work towards, and the power of collective action. Hear from members of Workers United Local 2833!

Meghan McCarron is a staff writer for Eater.com, and wrote an article about sexual misconduct in the hospitality industry called "Dear Bad Man: Divest From Your Restaurants Already." We talk power, economic loss and gain, and the responsibility of restaurants and coffeeshops when they are the subject of sexual misconduct allegations. Read the article here: https://www.eater.com/2018/1/25/16932246/dear-bad-men-divest-from-your-restaurants-already

It's been almost six weeks since Jeremy Tooker and Four Barrel coffee were sued based on allegations of sexual misconduct and creating an environment where harassment was tolerated. So we emailed. We boycotted. We rallied. We watched current owners, Jodi Geren and Tal Mor, oscillate between divesting from their company and then hiring the PR crisis firm Sitrick and Co, who represents Harvey Weinstein. Now what? In this episode, we reflect on the last few weeks and make an open call to current owners, Jodi and Tal - if you want to talk and share your story, we're here to listen. Our email address is bossbaristapodcast@gmail.com.

Umeko Motoyoshi of Sudden Coffee talks about her role in the Four Barrel lawsuit. She talks about finding a lawyer, feeling validation, and we also do a 101 intro on gaslighting. #startdrama #talkshit Photo by Jenn Chen.

Molly Flynn was fed up listening to the stories of harassment and assault her friends experienced in the coffee industry—so she organized. Molly is the founder of #coffeetoo, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending harassment in the coffee industry. We get real, we get personal, and we talk shit. CHECK OUT #COFFEETOO GOFUNDME www.gofundme.com/startdrama

Last week, Jeremy Tooker and Four Barrel settled the lawsuit brought against them by eight former employees. But there's still work to do. Jodi and Tal promised to divest—they haven't yet. Instead, they fired the majority of their production team. So we have a big ask of you: reach out to the cafes you know continuing to serve Four Barrel and ask them to DEMAND DIVESTMENT BY FEBRUARY 15TH. Demand transparency, demand that shares of the company be given to employees (not sold), and demand a timeline. If you need a form letter to send to your local cafes, we got you covered.

ONGOING STORY/TRIGGER WARNING–On January 5th, 2018, the SF Chronicle broke the story that eight former and current employees of Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco, Calif., are coming forward, accusing owner Jeremy Tooker of sexual harassment and assault. The suit alleges that other owners of Four Barrel were well aware of these behaviors and propagated a culture that protected Jeremy and allowed sexual misconduct to run rampant. Listen as we read aloud the allegations from the lawsuit.

A few weeks ago, we got in a Twitter debate with Reggie, and we all came together to discuss cultural appropriation (spoiler alert: he's right we were wrong), the responsibility of leaders in the coffee industry, and what's so special about the D.C. coffee scene. Reggie is the Coffee Director at A Rake's Progress and The Cup We All Race 4, and he talks about Sweden, his beginnings at Murky Coffee, and the importance of representation through DMV Coffee. We also laugh a little and talk about astrology and babies because duh.

Lots of amazing folks competed at the Reno Coffeechamps earlier this month, and used their platform to call out the SCA and speak up for their community. In this mini-episode, Jasper talks about activism and airs a statement from Emily Orendorff of Boxcar Coffee Roasters in Denver. Thank you to Emily for letting us air her statement, and Lucas Haladki for noticing this and tagging us on Twitter!

During Cherry Roast, Jasper and Ashley came together to talk a little more about the SCA's Deferred Candidacy Policy. Join us in this mini-episode where we talk about the power of local events and the importance of transparency in decision making and global politics.

Hope you were paying attention in your high school French class -- we bring you an episode of Boss Barista entirely IN FRENCH! The great folks from Cafée let us hang and record a panel with women from all over the coffee scene in Paris, and we're thrilled to share the happenings of a coffee scene abroad. Remember, this episode is entirely IN FRENCH and we hope to bring you episodes in different languages soon!

Jasper and Ashley head to Denver, Colo., for the third annual Cherry Roast, a coffee competition aimed at being inclusive and making coffee competitions accessible. We report live on the event and interview past winners, current competitors, and others in the Denver coffee who are making changes and pushing forward.

Boss Barista was born out of a conversation between Jasper and Ashley. Today, we revisit that conversation and delve deeper. Jasper talks about her name change and her background, and Ashley discusses her identity and talks an upsetting amount about Tinder.

It's here. Eileen Hassi Rinaldi of Ritual Coffee sits down with Boss Barista and walks us through her coffee history and how she started the one of the most progressive coffee companies in the United States. Dave Eggers, venture capitalists, and creating family are all covered!

A leader isn't simply the person in charge--it's the person who takes responsibility for their staff and ensures their success. In this episode, Jasper and Ashley talk about leaders in the cafe and why people seem to ignore their responsibility to their baristas. LEADERSHIP IS A PRACTICED SKILL YOU CAN DO IT BETTER. Photo featuring Jen Apodaca showing folks how to roast at a #shestheroaster event.

Gentrification is ugly and real. In this episode, we talk about Boyle Heights, how gentrification hurts neighborhoods, and the language behind gentrification -- ever heard someone say, 'There was nothing here a few years ago?' Yes there was, it just didn't cater to your white, middle-class sensibilities. Honor neighborhoods, learn history, respect residents.